In its annual report released last week, the National Safety Council announced that lower gas prices and distractions while driving (texting and drunk driving chief among them) helped lead to another significant rise in fatal auto accidents throughout the United States in 2016.

In the report released last Wednesday, the National Safety Council said that approximately 40,200 motor vehicle deaths occurred from January through December of 2016 – an increase of 6% from the same period in 2015, and 14% over the two years since 2014, the largest 2-year jump in over 50 years.

As we here at Slinkman, Slinkman & Wynne, P.A. we have been saying for over 40 years, even one death from an automobile accident is too many. Unfortunately, too many of our fellow Floridians and Americans just do not seem to be getting message – stop texting while driving, and using drugs or alcohol before getting behind the wheel of an automobile. You are putting your own life, and the lives of everyone around you in serious danger.

As Deborah A.P. Hersman, president and CEO of the National Safety Council asked in her statement, “Why are we ok with this?”

“Complacency is killing us.”

Safety advocates point to the continuing rise in the number of deaths as a percentage of miles driven as proof that distracted driving – particularly texting and drug and alcohol use – as proof that too many people take the danger of driving for granted.

If you are injured in an auto accident because the other driver was impaired by drugs or alcohol, or distracted by texting while driving or some other cause, you may have a right to bring a claim for various damages and injuries incurred. Call us at Slinkman, Slinkman & Wynne, P.A. We offer a free initial consultation, and our phone number is (561) 686-3400.

At Slinkman, Slinkman, & Wynne, we know that motor vehicle accidents are happening at an increased rate. If you are in an accident because of the willful negligence of another driver then you need to contact us right away. We help our clients obtain payment to cover hospital and other medical expenses, pain and suffering, and more, if the situation warrants it.

If you want to learn more about how we can help you in a situation where someone you love has been in an auto accident, then go to this page on our website: http://www.sswlawfl.com/areas-of-practice/auto-accident/. We also specialize in Slip and Fall accidents, Wrongful Death & Serious Injury, Medical Malpractice, Defective Products, Motorcycle Accidents, Boating Accidents and many other types of legal situations where injury or death has occurred.